Deciding on grommets surgery

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I have a DD (7yrs) needing grommets surgery for glue ear. I had them fitted as a child and all I can remember was huge pain from swimming (despite ear plugs) and now as an adult , I suffer from hearing loss (scarred ear drum). My own negative experiences have made me hesitant to agree to surgery but I don't want to be unreasonable either or project my fears on her. She has hearing aids and we think they're wonderful but I know it can't be a long term solution for glue ear. I'm wondering if anyone has faced something similar and if so, what has helped you to decide?

Following … similar position with DS(5)

I didn't know they did hearing aids for glue ear. Is it only glue ear she has. My DD was diagnosed with glue ear at 5 when she had a routine hearing test at school we would not have know otherwise. She had grommets and everything was fine and was able to hear so well straight after the operation. Later she had to have her adernoids removed too. She never had any other problems after. My other DD had to have grommets around 7 and has never had any problems either.

@Iloveeverycat thank you, that's reassuring.

DS had them at 2 and then put in again at almost 4 for glue ear (with adenoids removed) and was very straight forward with no issues.

do it! Mine had aged 3 (with tonsil and adenoids removed) and instant hearing back and no issues… aside from the operation recovery which was pretty rough, but only a few weeks.

My DS had severe glue ear discovered age 2 when I questioned why he wasn't improving his speech beyond 1-2 words. Turns out he was basically deaf. We were referred to ENT & Speech teams. We then had to learn makaton to be able to communicate. He had grommets aged 2.5-3 and the change was phenomenal. He then had to relearn everything he had been taught as he could now hear sounds though the world was quite loud for him so he would cover his ears a lot. It took him a while to catch up and he started school a year behind language wise.

He had repeat grommets and adenoid removal a couple years later and he had been fine since. He also swims regularly and has never had pain/infection

DS had grommets about age 7. They were magical, he woke up from the op and immediately said how much he could hear. He didn’t have any issues with them. We had custom made ear plugs for swimming.

My daughter had grommets aged 4. She woke up from the op and could hear immediately, she then told everyone she'd got new ears.
We took her home the same day and my mum had come to look after my 6yr old as I thought daughter would need to be looked after, but she got changed and went outside to ride her bike.

We were in this position with DS, who also wore a hearing aid for glue ear. We wanted to avoid surgery and were hoping that he’d grow out of it, which he did thankfully. I’m not suggesting that this is the right option for you, it’s just my experience.

My son had grommets fitted and his hearing drastically improved and no side effects ! He was around 3! Lots of positives experiences on your post - hope it helps xxx

DS had them aged 5 with an instant result. On our return from hospital his first observation was that the TV was far too loud and he no longer had to sit so close so he could hear it.

The grommets came out within 3 months but because SDS had his adenoids removed at the same time the surgeon decided that their removal had had the biggest effect.

Some of the bonuses included no dribbling ( he found it hard to swallow) he no longer had a permanent runny nose since the snot could drain, as it should, down his throat and I no longer sounded like a fish wife.

Any child with a permanent runny nose should be considered to have glue ear. The poor retro nasal drainage means the litre or two of mucus we produce on a daily basis in our sinuses drains via the nostrils rather than where it should drain. The adenoids block the drainage and so mucus ends up in the middle ear.

2 of my sons had grommets. One was diagnosed with glue ear aged 3 and had grommets aged 7. No problems since.

Other son diagnosed with glue ear aged 14 months. Had grommets aged 21 months and then again aged 6. Had hearing aids from aged 8 because the glue ear was back and they couldn't do any more grommets. He is now aged 12 and still wears hearing aids.

Thanks very much for all the positive replies. I am more open now to agreeing to the surgery.

I’ve just this morning agreed for my 5 year old to have grommets as he has had glue ear for a few years. The same (private) surgeon also did Grommets for DC2 last year age 1 and the difference in her speech and walking ability has been amazing.

My 7 year had grommets. She found the hospital stressful (undiagnosed asd) but recovery was fine. She had iburofen once. Swam weekly using ear putty and a band, never got an ear infection.

I had grommets aged 4 and also have hearing loss but I’ve always assumed that’s from the repeated infections that I had before. I have a lot of tinnitus and I can remember having that before the operation.
My daughter had the operation too and the difference has been transformational.
Is the quality of the hearing aids enough for her to progress at school and socialise?

@Iocanepowder , @Senmum2026 thanks for the replies and nice to hear it's been positive.

@APatternGrammar this is what I'm not sure of regarding myself as I don't remember ear infections before the grommets but it was a long time ago.

Her hearing aids are pretty good and since she's had them she's been doing well at school. She also sometimes gets by without them.

My DD had adenoid and grommet surgery a few years ago aged 10 and she went from looking like she would have permanent hearing loss with eardrums stuck down as none of the airways were working well to now a few years later being released from the hearing clinic everything working normally. The op was very quick and the only discomfort was from the tube that had been at the side of her mouth. One grommet came out almost immediately and the other took a year to be expelled. For some kids they just can’t get to a normal place themselves and need that bit of help; obviously given your own experience I understand the reticence but we have no regrets.